I posted on the good news of a Saab 9-3 being entered in the 2009 Swedish Touring Car Championship series last week. I’ve just received an email this morning pointing me towards some new, more detailed images of the vehicle under development.

The images are on a page over at Garaget, which I thought was a little strange, but they’re great images and really inspiring for those of us who like motorsport and love the idea of a Saab being competitive in motorsport again.

I love the big Saab badge on the steering wheel!

And all this brings me to the question - who likes racing, anyway?

I’ve discovered a renewed interest in motorsports in recent times. In fact, one of my prime reasons for buying my Alfa 33 was so that I could participate in some grass roots motorsports next year without stressing out my 900 Turbo (the fact that one of the main motorsports clubs here in Hobart is an Italian car club helped in the Alfa choice).

I reckon motorsports participation is a big brand-builder. It doesn’t help so much with the female demographic, but despite the growth in that particular market place (Toyota wouldn’t be where they are without it), guys still buy cars, too, and motorsports is a great tool for gaining exposure and credibility. It’s the ultimate cradle for engineering development.

I see this move into the Swedish Touring Car Championship is a positive step for the Saab brand. I hope GM Europe allow Saab some latitude in supporting this team (it’s not a factory Saab team) with parts and development.

Take a look at the other pics at the link above, and then feel free to chime in and let me know what you think.

And if you’re interested in grassroots motorsport, check out Racing Ready. It’s run by a regular from here, Dan S, and it’s chronicling his journey from observer to participant in grassroots motorsport. Dan’s looking to get up and running in Autocross around San Antonio, where he lives. I’ve found the site entertaining and useful, especially seeing I’m in a similar boat here.

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Thanks to Dippen for the Garaget link!

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